


Time After Time

by EHC



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-07-24 19:33:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20019862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EHC/pseuds/EHC
Summary: How must it look to others, to see Max try so desperately to save everyone? To watch her change right before their eyes. Would they understand? Could they ever understand? Can anyone believe her when she explains the truth?Can they still love her?





	1. Freeze Frame

Photography. His talent.

Teaching. His career.

Innocence. His victim.

Mark Jefferson circled the class slowly, giving his lecture, while all around him sat his students. Most weren't worth his time or patience. They didn't see photography for what it truly was: an elevated art form, able to permanently capture moments in time and freeze it forever. To them, photos were pictures and the camera, a tool. Nothing more.

Useless. Sometimes, it grated that he had to teach these kids. But, he did have an image to maintain. And he took far too much pride in his abilities as a photographer to half-ass teach the subject, even if his passion was lost on most of the class.

He leaned against one of the tables in the room, continuing the lesson, observing how some took steady notes, while others sat with rapt attention. A couple were barely present, though for completely opposite reasons. He glanced towards Kate. It had given him such a tremendous feeling of satisfaction to capture her innocence, and to witness her fall from grace ever since. He had hopes that he could do something unprecedented with her and have a second photo session but, alas, it appears she was far more fragile than even he anticipated. It wouldn't surprise him at all if she were to drop out of school within the week.

Who else?

Ah, Victoria Chase. Not quite so innocent but possessed a unique charm. She might be an interesting subject to frame, to see her version of innocence, her infatuation with him, shatter like glass, but that also meant tackling Nathan's pre-conceived notions of friendship with the suck-up. It was, sadly, too soon for that just yet. He was still reeling from the Rachel fiasco, though their recent sessions with other subjects had smoothed that over somewhat. Another session or two and he was confident Nathan would finally shape up.

Which led to his pride and joy, his diamond in the rough, so to speak: Max Caulfield. Gifted. Innocent. Who saw the camera not as a tool but as an extension of her very self, able to capture moments as he did. She had a naïve sense about what she photographed, however, but out of all of his potential subjects, she intrigued him the most. What would it be like to capture her innocence through the very lenses she herself used? He had to take her, and soon. But unlike the others, Mark was confident that she would come out of a session relatively unscathed. She was strong, much stronger than even she gave herself credit for. He saw a lot of himself in her, in fact, and if it wasn't for Sean's insistence, and his sizable monetary backing, would love to take her on as a protégé instead of the barely-stable Prescott heir.

Still, she had much to learn about humility and focus, and the fact that she just decided to snap a self-portrait in the middle of class would be a great starting point for a different sort of lesson.

"Shh, I believe Max has taken what you kids call a 'selfie,' a dumb word for a wonderful photographic tradition. And Max... has a gift." He had to get that dig into Victoria, ruffle her feathers a bit. "Of course, as you all know, the photo portrait has been popular since the early 1800's. Your generation was not the first to use images for selfie-expression." He smirked. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. The point remains that the portraiture has always been a vital aspect of art, and photography, for as long as it's been around. Now Max, since you've captured our interest and clearly want to join the conversation, can you please tell us the name of the process that gave birth to the first self-portraits?"

Dead silence was her reply.

Not... a completely unheard of response, considering who he was talking to, but focusing the attention of the entire class on Max usually led to a response of some sort, even if it was just nervous stammering. Instead, he got nothing. Except...

Mark blinked, then tore his gaze away to look around the class. "Anyone else wish to answer?"

Unsurprisingly, Victoria spoke up. "Louis Daguerre was a French painter who created "daguerreotypes", a process that gave portraits a sharp reflective style, like a mirror."

He ignored her as she turned to mock Max, continuing on with his lecture, though he kept an eye on the hipster. There was just something unnerving about her now, some sort of abrupt change that had occurred from one minute to the next. It was her eyes, he realized. He hadn't seen eyes like that since his brief stint as a war photographer back in Kosovo in '99. That innocence he saw earlier, the innocence he was planning on capturing...

It was gone. Utterly. Replaced by a thousand-yard stare.

But how? And that abruptly? There was no explanation for it. One moment, she was sitting in class, zoning out like normal, and--

Max stood from her desk, interrupting both his lecture and the flow of his thoughts. He blinked in surprise. "Max? What is it?"

Again, there was no response, though her completely uncharacteristic behavior had captured the attention of the entire class. As everyone watched, Max slowly made her way to the door. Mark frowned. "Max, please return to your seat. Class hasn't been dismissed yet."

Nothing. Just her slowly shuffling towards the door, though now there was the occasional murmur behind him. Mark heard Taylor ask "What's her deal?" to presumably Victoria, but paid it little mind. Instead, he stepped forward and placed a hand on Max's shoulder, halting her. "Max, I don't know what's going on, but you can't just--"

Max turned her head in his direction. Her next words, though whispered so quietly that the rest of the class didn't hear, stopped him dead.

"Rachel in the dark room..."

Stunned, Mark let go of Max's shoulder and a moment later, she was gone.

* * *

For a moment, everyone was quiet. What the hell had just happened? Then, the 4 o'clock bell rang, making nearly everyone jump, Kate included. She blinked as Mr. Jefferson turned to his desk, gathered a couple of things from it, then quickly left, ignoring the class, much to Victoria's dismay.

Kate sighed as she stood and began gathering her books, stuffing them half-heartedly into her backpack. God only knew how tired she was, how draining it was to go to class even though she couldn't focus, could barely concentrate enough to take notes. How much it hurt to be continually mocked for her religion, her club, and most recently, whatever happened to her at the party.

She couldn't remember and that was the truth. It didn't matter to Victoria and her cronies, though, who were relentless in their mockery. Kate sniffed softly to herself as she shouldered her bag. She wasn't sure how much more she could take.

Kate glanced around the room, then paused. There, on Max's table, was all of her stuff, including her beloved camera. That was incredibly odd. What was wrong with Max? She definitely wasn't behaving like herself. Her friend wasn't the type of person to just walk out of class for no reason, not to mention leaving behind the one possession she loved so much. Kate sighed and slid her backpack off her shoulder, then started gathering Max's things and placed them in the messenger bag nearby. As horrible as she was feeling, it wouldn't be right to just leave all of this behind. The least she could do was bring them back to Max.

A minute later, Kate slid her backpack on, this time using both straps, then took hold of Max's bag. She exited the class, made her way down the hall, and left the building. In short order, she was entering the dorm building, careful to step around a large splatter of white paint. Whatever had happened here, it was messy. She climbed the stairs to the girls' floor and walked to Max's room, hearing outraged noises that sounded like Victoria coming from the nearby bathroom. Ignoring it, she reached up to knock on Max's door.

Which opened a split second before her fist made contact with the wood, shocking her. "Oh, Max! Sorry. I was just--" Max surprised her yet again by reaching out and grasping her outstretched hand in hers, then tugging her inside. "Max? What's... I mean--"

"I know what happened to you," Max said quietly, interrupting Kate. "At the party. You were drugged."

The revelation floored Kate, so much that she didn't resist at all when Max brought her over to sit on her love seat. She blinked. "How do you...?"

"Nathan did it," Max continued, never breaking eye contact with the stunned girl. "Under direction of Mark Jefferson. Working together, they kidnapped you, took you to an underground bunker turned photography studio, and proceeded to rape you. Physically. Emotionally. Without remorse. They took photos of the entire thing, in a sick desire to capture the exact moment you lost your innocence. And when they were finished, they cleaned you up, drugged you a second time to wipe your memories, then dumped you outside your room like garbage."

Tears began pouring from Kate's eyes. She only had the vaguest of memories of what happened to her but had felt so violated afterwards, so dirty. To hear Max say these things, to describe in detail about what happened, hurt tremendously, especially the cold and detached way she said it. Like garbage, Max said. Was that all she was now? Garbage? "I..."

Max turned away and grabbed a photo from the wall behind her. "I've been working on saving you from that fate for nearly seven years. You, Rachel, Chloe, Victoria, everyone. You all deserve to live. Deserve to be free. Deserve to be happy. I think I have the right sequence now. I'm sorry it's taken so long, I'm sorry I gave up for as long as I did. You didn't deserve that hell. But, don't worry. You'll be safe now. I promise."

Kate's mind was whirling. Max's words made no sense and coupled with the truth of what happened to her, it was too much. She watched as Max ignored her to stare at the photo in her hand. "Please, Max, talk to me. What are you talking about? What do you mean, 'you've been trying to

<<<<<<<<<<[X]

save me for seven years?'" Kate wiped the tears from her eyes, though more continued to fall. She blurrily made out Max slide to the floor to reach beneath the bed and pulled out a long, thin cardboard box, which she placed on the bed, then climbed back on. It hurt that Max wasn't answering her, wasn't even paying attention to her, just kept thumbing through that huge collection of Polaroids that was apparently more important that her feelings or even their friendship.

It was too much. Kate buried her face in her hands. "Please... Don't leave me. Don't ignore

<<<<<<<<<<[X]

Kate blinked. This was getting weird. Max had invited her to her room after class, sat her down on her bed, then proceeded to stare at photo after photo, rather than actually talk to her. As she watched, Max replaced the one in her hand, flipped back towards the front of the box, then withdrew another. "Are you okay? You don't seem t

<<<<<<<<<<[X]

Kate shifted in her seat, exchanging glances with Rachel. What was going on? "Max? You're starting to concern us."

"Yeah. I mean, I know we're not the best of friends but when you said it was urgent, I

<<<<<<<<<<[X]

As Rachel watched, another photo fluttered from Max's fingers to the floor. To see Max _not_ treat each as a national treasure was setting off all sorts of alarm bells. "Max? You need to talk to us."

"Yeah, dude," Chloe added. "You're acting hella weird. Why the photos and why are you j

<<<<<<<<<<[X]

Silence. Max blinked and turned around, immediately noticing some subtle differences in the room, then nodded. She dropped that photo and without looking, reached behind her to pluck another one from the wall. She stared into it and a moment lat

<<<<<<<<<<[X]

"Christ, Caulfield," Victoria couldn't help but snort, ignoring the slight glare sent her way by Kate. "If you just wanted to ignore us, we could've done that outside where I could at least get some fresh air."

"Please, Victoria, you know it had to be important for Max to invite both of us here."

"Normally, I wouldn't doubt that but seriously, my ass is getting numb fro

<<<<<<<<<<[X]

"I don't get it."

Chloe tried to explain it then realized she really couldn't. "Look, just trust her. She said it was important, so we're waiting."

"But she's gotten so pale," Kate protested. "It's been five minutes of her just looking at photos and look at how pale sh

<<<<<<<<<<[X]

"Max? Dear?" Kate rose from the couch and stepped over to the shy brunette. Ex or no, she was getting really concerned. "I really don't like the way you're looking now. It's like you're getting more and more anemic with every passing moment." She reached out her hand and placed her palm on Max's forehead, then blinked. "You're cold. Why? How are you so cold? Max? What's--"

"I love you."

The statement stopped Kate in her tracks and nearly stopped her heart as well.

Max didn't look up, her fingers trembling slightly as she rifled through her box of photos, trying to remember the next one in the sequence. "I've never stopped loving you, Kate. You and the others. All these years, all this time, all my deaths, I've never stopped. You're all worth more to me than my own life. And no matter what, I'm going to save you."

Kate blinked, feeling tears form in her eyes. To hear Max say those three magic words, even after all the horrible things she blamed her for... "Wait. 'Others?' Who are you ta

<<<<<<<<<<[X]

Rachel huffed out an annoyed breath. "You call us over, interrupting our make-out session, say it's critical, then just sit there admiring your photos? What gives?"

Victoria snorted. "By all means, keep revealing our relationship to everyone. That'll keep it a secret."

"Please." Rachel rolled her eyes. "If everyone doesn't already know about us thanks to Taylor, Courtney, and Chloe, I will literally kiss your ass."

Victoria's eyes sparkled at that, ignoring Max as she lifted another photo. "I'll take that bet."

"I figured you w 

<<<<<<<<<<[X]

"Okay, that's enough."

Taking two steps forward, Chloe snatched the photo from Max's hand and flicked it across the room. "I seriously don't know what the fuck you think you're doing but we can literally see you dying right in front of our eyes."

"Max, please." Kate took a hold of one of Max's hands and grimaced at how cold it was. "I know you said to trust you and don't interrupt but have you seen yourself? You've gotten so pale, you're shivering from the cold, and all from just looking at photos?"

"Seriously, Max, you have to stop." Rachel stood from the couch as well. "I don't get what's going in, either, but the longer we sit here, the more we want to drag you to the nearest emergency room."

Max slowly shook her head. "...can't stop. need to help."

"Help with what?" Chloe demanded. "Help who?"

"...you. all of you. save from death. save from the storm. save from the dark room. save from Jefferson."

The three girls turned to each other and blinked, taking their eyes off of Max long enough for her to reach behind her for another photo. What the hell...?

Rachel turned to Max. "Jefferson? Who's-- wait. What're yo

<<<<<<<<<<[X]

Silence. Max blinked slowly and looked around her bedroom in Seattle. Shit. She grabbed the wrong photo.

Her legs trembled as she stood from her desk chair and staggered forwards a step, before collapsing to her knees. She felt a warm trickle from her nose but ignored it. She couldn't stop, not now. She was so fucking close. Just a couple more changes...

She closed her eyes, focused on the sensation of the borders of her jump, then released

>>>>>>>>>>[X]

u doing?" Rachel blinked. "Holy shit! Your nose!"

"...i'm fine," was Max's mumble trying to ignore Kate's gasp of surprise and Chloe's curse. "...need to keep going."

"The hell you are," Chloe growled, grabbing the photo from Max's hands and throwing it aside. She then tucked her hands under Max's armpits and dragged her right off the bed and onto the nearby desk chair.

<<<<<<<<<<//

"The hell you are," Chloe growled, grabbing the photo from Max's hands and throwing it aside. She then tucked her hands under Max's armpits and dragged her right off the bed and onto the nearby desk chair, not seeing the photo tucked beneath Max's shirt. "You're going to sit right the fuck there and not touch another photo until you stop fucking bleeding all over the place and tell us what the hell is going on."

"...trying to help."

"By dying?!" Chloe grasped her shoulders and fought the urge to shake some sense into Max. In her current state, she doubted Max could take it. "We've been here for less than 15 minutes and you've gone from looking like you to looking like a goddamn ghost! You're freezing, you're shaking, you're practically falling on your face, and you still won't tell us what the hell you mean!"

"Chloe, please." Kate was hurriedly pulling on a glove from Max's first aid kit. "I know you're upset, all three of us are, but yelling at your best friend isn't helping."

The words, delivered in Kate's quiet yet firm voice, finally penetrated the anger and worry that churned inside Chloe. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yeah. You're right." She opened her eyes again to look into Max's, hating how unfocused they were. "You sit there and let Kate clean you up."

She turned away and let Kate take the lead, who started dabbing at Max's face with a tissue.

Rachel, in the meantime, started rifling through all the photos that Max had gone through so far, trying to find a pattern, a clue, something to shed some light on her friend's strange behavior. So far, nothing. A few selfies, photos of random street corners, a car, a beach, an amusement park, clouds in the sky. Great photos, sure, but nothing that stood out.

And why the hell could photos be causing nosebleeds and apparently acute vampirism? Because Chloe was right: Max had gone from her normal, healthy complexion, to sheet white, to horribly unhealthy. Corpses featured on medical documentary autopsies had more color than Max was displaying right now.

That's when something clicked in her head. Jefferson. Corpses. Rachel blinked, then raised her head. "Jefferson? As in, Mark Jefferson? That fucker who they discovered was drugging and raping school girls two years back, taking all sorts of sick photos in the name of 'art?'"

Max didn't answer, not immediately, but the look Max gave her was enough to make the hair rise on the back of her neck. "Oh, my God. They found his body in Seattle. Max..." She couldn't finish the terrible thought, even in her own head.

Chloe could, though, and felt the blood drain from her face. The possibility that Max...? She turned look at her childhood friend, who was raising her right hand. She swallowed heavily. "Max? Are yo

<<<<<<<<<<//

"Jefferson? As in, Mark Jefferson? That fucker who they discovered was drugging and raping school girls two years back, taking all sorts of sick photos in the name of 'art?'"

"...yes." Max closed her eyes so Rachel couldn't see. "...he was a teacher at Blackwell. lured girls in. him and Nathan. he got so many girls... so many..."

Chloe and Rachel exchanged looks as Kate started on Max's face with an alcohol wipe. This was making no sense at all. "But, he was never a teacher at Blackwell," Rachel said, trying to recall what she'd read about so long ago. "He was a model photographer in Cali before something happened and he fled. I think someone turned him in?"

"...anonymous tip. made a couple calls. got him busted. got him killed..." Max opened her eyes and the abrupt clarity in them made Kate blink in shock. "...deserved it... may he burn in hell..."

Kate rose slowly. She removed the glove on her hand and kept the bloodied wipe balled up inside, then stepped over to the others. "What are you thinking?" she asked softly.

"That our best friend has, in the past 15 minutes, contracted some form of brain damage and is completely off her rocker," Chloe stated. "And we need to get her to the closest ER for a brain scan or something."

Rachel nodded, almost reluctantly. "As overly dramatic as that sounds, I have to agree. Something, and I don't know what, has inflicted or even infected Max. She's not making any sense at all."

Kate nodded. "We should leave now, then."

"We'll take my car, Rachel said, turning to Max. "I-- SHIT!"

All three girls turned to see Max holding onto another photo. They all rushed

<<<<<<<<<<[X]

Max's door slammed open and Victoria shot inside. "What's going on?"

"I don't know!" Kate turned in her seat, a wad of bloodied tissues in her hand, phone in the other. "Max just started bleeding from her nose all of a sudden but she won't talk!"

Letting out a vicious curse, Victoria crossed the room and, with a gentleness that belied her growing panic, lifted Max's head by her chin. She grimaced at what she saw. "Max? If you can hear me at all, nod. Don't talk. Just nod." The faintest pressure on her fingers loosened some of the worry. Max was at least partially cognizant but her pupils was so damn dilated there was barely any blue visible.

Victoria heard Rachel and Chloe charge into the room behind her but didn't take her attention from Max. "Rach. Chloe. Please pack a bag for Max. We're taking her to the ER. Now."

"...no..."

"You're in bad shape, Max," Victoria said quietly but firmly. "Really bad. I don't know what's going on but even when Nathan OD'ed, he didn't look half as bad as you. We need to get you out of here and to a doctor."

"...no..."

Victoria shook her head. "This isn't a request. We're going." She was about to turn to see if Rachel and Chloe were done when her wrist was seized in an ice-cold grip. She blinked, refocusing her attention on Max, then blinked again. Those eyes...

"...you owe me..."

Victoria heard everyone else fall silent. They must've heard the utter seriousness in Max's voice as well. "What do you mean? I owe you? Owe you for what?"

Max struggled to maintain eye contact, though her grip remained terribly strong. "...2011. Halloween dance... red Lexus..."

Victoria felt all the blood drain from her face. "How the fuck do you know about that?" she whispered.

"...because..." Max swallowed heavily. "...I threw the brick..."

The words made absolutely no sense whatsoever to the other girls in the room but a moment later, were stunned when Victoria said, "What do you need from me?"

Max closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "...one... more... photo..." She tilted her head in the direction of the box.

Victoria pressed her lips into a thin line, considering. "One. And only one."

"...yes..."

"Hold on a fucking minute," Chloe protested. "You can't be serious! Look at her!"

Victoria stood, grabbed the box of photos on Max's bed and carefully placed it in her lap. "I know. Believe me, I fucking know. But, I owe her."

Rachel and Chloe both stepped closer. "What do you mean?" asked Rachel.

Victoria knelt at Max's side and watched as she, eyes still closed, slowly dragged her thumb across the top edge of the photos stacked upright in the narrow box. "Two years ago, after the Halloween dance here, I was driving around with my date. We pulled off somewhere, started making out." She let out a shuddering breath. "Something didn't feel right. I changed my mind, tried to stop. He didn't."

She heard a shocked gasp and glanced over to Kate, seated at the edge of the couch, then over to her other two friends. "He had me pinned in my seat and was trying to force my legs open when something smashed through the driver's side window. He fell off of me, into the passenger seat, and I was able to grab my mace from my key chain, blasted him in the face. He got his door open and fell outside, then I cranked the car and just got the fuck out of there."

"Jesus Christ, Vicky." Rachel then flinched and looked at Kate. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Kate gave Victoria a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Victoria nodded, watching as Max paused, then fished out a single photo from the box. "Thanks. The next day, I told my folks a half-truth, that my car was the victim of vandalism, which wasn't really a lie. The brick that destroyed my window was still in the car, after all. I swore to myself that I'd pay back whoever who saved me. I just had no id

<<<<<<<<<<[X]

ea who had done so. Until-- shit!!"

The box of photos slid from Max's lap, spilling photos everywhere a moment before Max herself collapsed. Kate and Victoria, being closest, managed to catch her before she could hit the floor. "I got you, Max. I got you." Victoria scooped Max up into her arms and stood. "Let's get the fuck to the hospital."

Together, all of them left, each worried sick about their friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This idea came to me at work Friday afternoon and just wouldn't let me go. So, I had to try it: my version of a fix-it fic.
> 
> Similar to my Super-Max stories, there isn't a huge, over-arching plot to tie things together. Instead, I have exactly three major scenes in this AU that I want to do. Hence, the current chapter limit of 3. Should I think of more to do, I'll add more, but for now, let's see what happens.


	2. Heart of Glass

Max's recovery was as strange as her illness.

When Victoria and Kate brought Max into the ER, Rachel and Chloe hot on their heels, Max was seen almost immediately. There a flurry of activity as vitals were examined, blood was taken, and questions haphazardly answered. No, Max wasn't on drugs. No, Max didn't drink. She didn't have anemia, wasn't prone to fainting, hadn't strained herself too much, wasn't undergoing any stressful life changes, nothing to explain her abrupt hypotension and hypothermia. A warm saline drip was given her to combat both and she was tucked under a thermal blanket along with a couple of warming pads, as well.

Two hours later, Max was walking out of the ER under her own power.

Inexplicably, all of Max's vitals drifted back to normal. The doctors had no explanations and could only give her general advice about trying to recall any unusual outside influences if it happened again. Max promised to do so, signed off on all the paperwork needed, and left with her four friends in tow.

As the cafeteria was long since closed, the group commandeered the common room of the girls' floor with a large pizza with everything but olives (Kate didn't like them), an order of cheesy bread, and some sodas. They ate, they chatted, they had a good time, though Max was being quiet, even more so than usual. When asked about it, she simply shrugged and said, "Just a lot on my mind, that's all."

She picked out a pepperoni slice and ate it. "I like being with you guys like this. Feels good. Relaxing."

"I should hope so," Victoria stated, polishing off her Diet Coke. "It's not everyday we can hang out like this, with busy schedule here, there, and everywhere."

"So, does this mean I should go to the ER more often? Unite everyone that way?" Max asked with a tiny grin.

"Oh, hell no," Chloe replied. "Once was too much already. Just text next time."

"On a related note, I was wondering about something I noticed while we were at the hospital," Rachel said as she set her paper plate aside.

"What's that?"

"When I finished filling out your paperwork and gave it to the nurse, I asked her if we were able to know what's going on. She asked me my name and when I gave it to her, she explained that I was on your HIPPA disclosure list, so she and the doctors could tell me everything. I looked at the list and saw all of our names on it." She tilted her head to one side. "Why?"

Max closed her eyes and gathered her thoughts. "I arranged it that way. My parents are six hours north of here and I figured it'd be best to have someone closer able to help me if it became necessary."

Rachel nodded. "Okay, makes sense." Then, she blinked. "Wait. Actually, that doesn't. You're 18th birthday was just two weeks ago. You couldn't have added us before that because technically, you were a minor, and your parents would have to sign off on it."

Max nodded. "That's right."

Chloe furrowed her brow in thought. "So, you added us within the past two weeks?"

"Yes."

"That's awfully convenient," Victoria stated. "Almost like you planned that."

"I did."

That statement caused the girls to exchange glances. Kate cleared her throat. "Max, does that mean you somehow knew what was going to happen today?"

"Yes. That's why I'm sorry for worrying you. There was just no way to warn you in advance."

"How did you know, though?" Chloe asked. "How could you possibly know?"

"I can travel back in time."

That statement made everyone in the room pause. Abruptly, Chloe barked out a laugh. "We shoulda made you take a CAT scan while we were at the hospital."

Kate gave Chloe a look. "That's not very nice. Max is your friend."

"A friend who just told all of us she can time travel," Chloe pointed out. "That kinda puts the brakes on taking her word for it."

"Still."

"'Still' nothing, Kate Kat. That's like me suddenly claiming I'm Powergirl and can fly and have x-ray vision and crap like that. You wouldn't just nod and agree with me."

"Well..." Kate really didn't have a leg to stand on here. Chloe was absolutely correct.

While Rachel was in firm agreement with Chloe, she also noticed Victoria wasn't joining in the conversation. Instead, she had a contemplative look on her face. "Whatcha thinking, Vicky?"

Victoria blinked. "Oh. Nothing." She tilted her head slightly. "Except."

Chloe noticed her looking at Max and rolled her eyes. "You're not buying this crap, are you?"

"Someone rescued me from getting raped two years ago," Victoria stated softly, cutting off anything else Chloe might have otherwise said. "Someone threw a brick straight through my driver's side window and clocked that son of a bitch in the head, giving me enough time to get away. I never knew who it was. Max said she did it." She gave Max a steady look. "Maybe you found out about what happened and are just taking credit. That would be the easiest explanation. Occam's razor and all that." She pointed at Max. "Except, you're not that kind of person."

Max stayed silent, just met Victoria's gaze. Several moments later, Victoria sat back. "Let's assume you're telling the truth. Can you prove it?"

"There are some ways," Max answered. "Some scarier than others." She turned to Rachel. "If you want, ask Dana for her pack of cards. She'll state that it's missing the three of clubs but that won't matter for this purpose."

Rachel cocked an eyebrow but stood. "I'll be back."

Once Rachel had stepped out of the room, Max ran her hands down her face, sighing deeply. "This is the part I hate," she muttered.

"What do you mean?" Kate asked.

"Sometimes, this goes well," Max replied. "Me demonstrating what I can do. Sometimes, it doesn't."

Chloe leaned forward, understandably still skeptical. "And how many times have you shown us?"

"Here, in this timeline? This is the first. Others? Hundreds."

<<<<<<<<<<//

Rachel re-entered the room looking... off. "I have the deck. And you were right: Dana did warn me about the missing card." She motioned towards Max with the box of cards. "How did you know that?"

"Previous iterations," Max answered cryptically, before lowering her hands. "Ace of spades. Seven of hearts. Ten of clubs. Joker with '3 of clubs' written in black magic marker. Jack of diamonds. Two of spades." She nodded towards the table. "Go ahead and flip out the first six cards one at a time, face-up, on the table."

Rachel, feeling less confident about Max, cleared the pizza box off the table, took out the cards, and flipped the first six cards over.

They matched.

Everyone blinked and turned to Max, who was looking back with a resigned expression on her face. "I asked Rachel to show me the first six cards, then rewound time. I can't actually predict the future; it just looks like I can."

"Holy shit." Rachel ran her hands down her arms several times. "I just got chills all up and down my arms."

Victoria leaned forward. "Okay. That was impressive. But, also inconclusive. In theory, you could've set that up with Dana ahead of time."

"Correct. So here's a scarier bit of proof." And with that, Max teleported from sitting in the chair to standing right behind it.

Everyone jumped back in shock. What in the actual fuck...?

Max slowly returned to her seat and sat down. "I can freeze time as well. I can't physically affect anything in the world but I can move around. So, it looks like I teleport."

"I..." Victoria stood abruptly and hurried from the room. "I need some air." Rachel rose and quickly followed. Kate turned from Max to the doorway, and back again, seemingly conflicted about keeping one friend company versus comforting another. Chloe, however, broke out into a huge grin.

"Holy shit, dude! You have super powers! You really are Super Max!" She shot out of her seat and started pacing the room. "This is so fucking awesome, just like when we were kids and making comics about us flying through space and crap. Okay, so you can't fly, but still." She paused and turned to Max. "You can't fly, can you?"

"No," Max shook her head. "No flying." She gave Chloe a small smile. "Sorry."

"So what else can you do?"

"One or two more things," Max vaguely answered, "but I want to wait until Rachel and Victoria come back, if they do."

"What do you mean?" Kate asked.

Max sighed deeply. "In previous timelines, me explaining my powers has a tendency of backfiring badly. Sometimes, you guys take it well. Others, you don't and our friendship falls apart. And several times, you wind up hating my guts." She looked between Chloe and Kate. "So, if Victoria doesn't come back, don't be surprised. I just broke her worldview, showed her that the impossible is possible. It's not easy to reconcile that."

Kate leaned forward. "Then, why explain it at all? Why not keep things secret?"

"That just makes everything worse. Rachel, Victoria, and Chloe," Max said, looking at the girl in question, "absolutely hate it when things are kept from them." She turned back to Kate. "You handle secrets better but can't stand the thought of someone carrying a burden by themselves. You want to help and get frustrated when you can't. The longer the secret is kept, the worse the fallout becomes. So, I promised myself I'd always tell you the truth, no matter the cost. You deserve to be happy but you also deserve the truth. Even if it hurts."

Kate and Chloe fell silent, each lost in thought. But they turned when Rachel and Victoria re-entered the room. Kate immediately rose her from chair and approached Victoria, the two sharing soft words before Kate stepped forward and wrapped Victoria in a hug, which she returned. A few moments later, they two separated and sat in their respective chairs.

Victoria leaned forward and clasped her hands together in her lap, then took a deep breath. "I want to believe you," she began. "And I think I will, but I need to know something first." She waited for Max to nod before she continued. "Did you rescue me just to have me owe you today?"

"No. Never. I don't use my powers to curry favors like that."

"Then, why?"

"The rape scarred you mentally and emotionally. Horribly. You refused to attempt any further intimate relationships with men from that point on. This led to a major falling out between you and your parents, who threatened to cut you off if you didn't marry well, meaning to a son of a family they approved of. You were scared of trying to survive on your own so you capitulated. But the continued stress of you having to live a lie, of hating yourself, hating your so-called husband, of being touched by him, of the continued pressure by your family to have a son of your own, turned you to alcohol and pills. At 27, you OD'ed and nearly died. Your husband divorced you, your parents cut you off anyway, and after you recovered, you committed suicide.

"I couldn't let that stand," Max continued, holding Victoria's gaze, even as the blonde's eyes widened in horror. "So, I went back, made a couple of changes, got to where I could be in Arcadia Bay around that same time, tracked you down, then threw the brick. You got away, scared, but safe. You saw a therapist around the Portland area for a few months, quietly, who helped you recover, though you're likely not going to explain what happened to your parents, afraid they'd side with him instead of you. You've been fine ever since."

"Jesus." Victoria wrapped her arms around herself and shuffled back into her seat. "Jesus Christ. What the fuck? What the actual fuck...?" She didn't fight or protest when Kate moved to sit next to her and wrap her in a hug, instead leaning into the smaller blonde.

Chloe turned to Max and frowned. "That was harsh, dude."

Max glanced in her direction. "I know." She turned back to Victoria. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"You couldn't have explained it more gently?" Rachel demanded.

"Given everything I just said, can _you_ think of a way to break things gently? Because whenever I've tried in the past, either the point doesn't get across or I get accused of lying."

"Wait, back up. 'Tried in the past?'" Chloe's brow furrowed as she recalled what else Max said before. "You said something about explaining your powers hundreds of times before. Previous timelines." She glanced over at Victoria, still being comforted by Kate, then back to Max. "How many times... No. Wrong question." She shifted and tried again. "How long have you been doing this?"

"Time is stupid and relative. From an outside standpoint, since I got my powers, no time has passed at all. But for me, personally, here and now? To achieve this timeline? Seven years, two months, eleven days, handful of hours."

The matter-of-fact way Max said that gave everyone pause. Surprisingly, Victoria was the first to respond. "Why?"

"Because I want to help."

Victoria shifted, Kate helping her sit upright. "No. I'm not buying that. No one's that altruistic." She turned to Kate. "No offense." Without waiting for a reply, she turned back to Max. "Why haven't you just said 'fuck it,' used your powers to win the lottery, and retire? Hell, with your powers, you could become the richest woman in the world, working the stock market. Why me? Why us?"

"Because I love you."

No other answer could have so utterly floored the girls so completely. Max took a deep breath before continuing. "When I first got my powers, I used them to help Chloe. Hell Week, we called it later. In five days, my best friend who I had abandoned for years became the light of my life, my only reason for living." She gave the girl in question a steady look. "You were the first person I ever loved with all my heart and soul.

"Later, when I started working to help you," she said, looking at the stunned Rachel, "I fell for you, too. Even though you were heads over heels in love with Chloe. Your energy is contagious and, like a firestorm, I got swept up into it. Your love for life, your thirst for the next adventure, your pure, romantic heart, all of it drew me like a moth to a flame. It hurt to let you and Chloe go but I had to. You belong together and neither of you needed a fifth wheel.

"I fell for you next," Max said, turning to Kate. "And despite our mutual misgivings, we gave it a try. Several lifetimes. It never quite worked out. I don't think we were meant to be compatible for marriage. But we did try. It took me a long time to understand that any relationship with me was doomed to heartbreak, to a lifetime of doubt and misery. So, I let you go. Stopped trying to force a square peg into a round hole. But I never stopped loving you.

"Victoria, you were harsh. Caustic. Acidic. But beneath your armor lay a vulnerable young woman. Someone who was surprisingly easy to love, to cherish, to care for. I was there for you several times, trying to help you before and after you OD'ed. I was never good enough. No matter what I said, no matter what I did, I couldn't help you the way you needed, couldn't get you the help you needed. So, I went back. And with one brick, eliminated any possibility that we'd ever get together. You need someone else, not me. But that's okay, because now you'll live. You'll be happy. Your parents will still piss you off, you'll still rebel, but now you won't feel trapped. Instead, you'll be free.

"That's why I've done this, worked so hard to achieve this outcome. Because I love you. All of you. Even now, even though I'm the only one who remembers it, past lives and loves that will never be. Your happiness is all that's important."

Max fell silent, looking around the room, seeing how everyone was staring at her, utterly dumbfounded. She slowly rose from her chair. "I'm going to go for a walk, get some air. I hope to see you later." And with that, she quietly walked away.

And, as the four girls would later discover, walked right out of their lives.

* * *

It was gradual, but as time went on, the four girls found distance growing between themselves and the no-longer-shy hipster. Oh, sure, she was still quiet, still kept to herself, still dressed the same, but she wasn't Max. Not the girl they had known since the beginning of the school year, the one who'd "let" herself be pressured into having fun, into hanging out with them at lunch, after school, at the American Rust, at the diner, at the occasional party. No, she was different.

Kate tried. She invited Max over for tea and the two enjoyed each other's company for a while. Then Kate, whose curiosity had been growing for some time, asked about previous timelines and what could have been. Max explained about Mark Jefferson, the Dark Room, of suicide. Of rescuing Kate from that, only to encounter a mother's bigotry and hatred towards homosexuals. Of a house divided, of a love gone sour. Of Max getting blamed for all of it from all parties involved, Kate included. "But it's okay," Max had stated. "You can hate me. I'm used to it."

There were no more invitations after that.

Rachel, who still had the most doubts of Max's powers, had barged into Max's room at one point, determined to get the girl to lighten up (and also find out what she did to make Kate so sad). She left ten minutes later, scared and trying to hide it behind a wall of anger, as she drove home to confront her father about a mysterious letter he received years ago, the one that threatened his career unless he revealed the truth about Sera to Rachel, the letter being the only reason he did so. He admitted it, to Rachel and Rose both, and Rachel raged. She called Sera that night, crying, and had to be reassured constantly that she was fine, she had recently been promoted at her job and was saving up money to take Rachel on a road trip, wherever she wanted to go. Silly plans were made to go to Disney, and they laughed, Rachel feeling much better.

She didn't visit Max for a long time after that.

Chloe took Max to the lighthouse, sat her down, asked her about Kate and Rachel both. Max, true to her word, explained what happened. After a long moment of silence, Chloe asked if anything like that happened to her. Max explained about one fateful car ride to pick up Joyce that led to William's death. How reversing that even put Chloe in a wheelchair, slowly dying. How much effort it took to find just the right balance of changes to save both, him and Chloe. How her life could've devolved thanks to the presence of "step-douche."

"That militaristic prick of a campus guard? Seriously?!"

"Yes. You and he never could see eye to eye on account of him starting off your relationship with a healthy dose of child abuse."

"But-- That's--" Chloe shook her head. "That's impossible. Mom loves me. She'd never let that happen."

"Your mom lost her husband and was hurting, so much that she turned a blind eye to a lot of what happened in your house."

Chloe shot from the bench and whirled around, fire in her eyes. "You're saying that she let me get beat?!"

"Yes."

Chloe had trembled from the force of her anger, the jammed a finger in Max's face. "Fuck you, Max. Fuck you and your goddamn powers. Fuck you to hell!"

Max heard Chloe stomp away, heard as she drove off and abandoned her. That was fine. She deserved it. For abandoning Chloe for five years, even if she fixed that this time around. She brought her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs, and sighed. "Hate me. It's okay. As long as you're alive. As long as you're happy. That's all that matters."

It took some time but eventually, Victoria visited. Her questions weren't about herself, though, likely because Max already revealed a lot about her altered future. Instead, she asked about others. "Was Nathan better in your other timelines?"

"No. Actually, he was worse off in most ways. He got wrapped up in Mark Jefferson's sick fantasies, was responsible for drugging and kidnapping several girls right here at Blackwell. Rachel, Kate, Chloe, and more."

Victoria had fallen silent for several long moments after that revelation. "And his father?"

"Was to blame for him falling in with Mark in the first place. He funded Mark, wanted Nathan to be his protégé. Couple that with all the pressure he put on Nathan to be the perfect heir, while never actually trusting him to forge his own path, he was bound to break."

"I always wondered if Nathan would've been better now if his father had lived," Victoria said quietly.

"Sean was as much a monster as Mark. Even with Nathan's suicide attempt, he's much better off now, especially with his sister here to help."

"Will he recover?"

"Eventually. At least, he has before."

"Okay." Victoria stood but paused before leaving. "We haven't seen you around much lately."

Max shrugged slightly. "I make everyone extremely uncomfortable. Dana, Juliet, Taylor, no one likes me being around nowadays. So, it's best if I keep my distance. No reason to upset anyone."

Victoria looked like she wanted to argue, perhaps say more, but opted to nod and leave Max to her own devices. Who stayed seated in the same place on her bed for hours. Long after the sun had set, plunging her room into darkness. Thinking back on all the other timelines she's seen. All her failures, all the suffering she caused. This had to work. This time, it had to work.

"As long as you're happy..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter went in a different direction than I had originally planned but honestly, I think it's for the better. My first iteration of this chapter had a lot of the confrontation happening with Max while she was a patient in the hospital but having her mysteriously get well after having mysteriously falling ill, fit the story much better.
> 
> Max promised herself to tell her four former loves the truth. And she will. But, if there are things that will hurt more than help, she will omit certain facts unless specifically questioned. It's a compromise she's built over time and it's the only way she can live with herself. So, what will happen if her friends get an inkling that something else is up and drill Max for details?
> 
> One more chapter to go. We'll soon see.


	3. True Colors

Time, as it always did when Max wasn't involved, continued on. October bled into November, which led to Thanksgiving. Unlike every other student on campus, Max opted to stay at Blackwell, which was allowed despite the school being closed. She'd just have to eat out for every meal, a portion of which was covered by her scholarship. The fact that she'd be all alone, with only the occasional squirrel for company, didn't bother her. In a very real way, she had been alone for years now, so this was nothing new.

When the others found out about her choice, feelings were mixed. Though none of them were actually mad at Max any longer, the distance that had grown between them meant that inviting Max over to stay over at their house would be weird, and not a little bit awkward. Once break was over, though, each of the girls extended a hand of friendship towards Max once more. Each apologized for shutting her out in their own ways: Kate, with a tea date; Rachel and Chloe, with a "wild night of debauchery" that was actually a sleepover, watching movies into the wee hours of the morning; Victoria, with a trip to an art gallery in Portland that featured photographers they both liked. Max thanked each of them and gave her assurances that all was forgiven and was water under the bridge.

That bit of distance remained, though.

November turned to December and with it, came the cold, finals, and Christmas break. Two and a half weeks away from school, to spend time with family and loved ones, at home. It was an exciting time for everyone. With one exception.

"Max? You okay?"

"Hmm?" Max turned to see Rachel at her door. "Oh, hey Rachel. Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you haven't packed yet." Rachel stepped inside Max's room and motioned with her arm. "I don't see any suitcases or anything."

"I actually don't need to pack much. I still have a bunch of stuff in Seattle," Max explained. "So, I'm just killing time before catching a bus to the station."

"I can take you, if you want," Rachel offered.

Max smiled slightly. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll be fine. And I know you're eager to hit the road to spend time with your birth mom, so the sooner you take off, the better."

Rachel tilted her head to one side. "And you know that because you..." She lifted her right hand in an imitation of what Max did to rewind time.

"No," Max said with a small grin. "You've been talking about it non-stop for about a week now. How could I forget?"

"Well, you got me there," Rachel said with a shrug and a smile. The chance to get away from cold Oregon and enjoy some California sun was just too good an opportunity to pass up. And the fact she got to spend that time with her birth mom was just perfect. She turned back to the door. "See you after break, then, okay?"

"Sure thing."

A few hours later, the Blackwell Academy was officially closed for winter break. Principal Wells was one of the last to leave, though Samuel was the one to join the security team in doing a sweep of the various buildings to check that everything was locked up tight. The Prescott Dormitory was the final building inspected, with each room being checked to ensure that no stragglers remained. Once that was finished, the lights were killed, and everyone left to their respective homes. All was quiet and the entire campus deserted.

Almost.

* * *

A week later found Rachel riding shotgun with Chloe, who was, as usual, bitching up a storm. "Fucking hell, it is cold as balls today!"

"And how cold is that, exactly?" Rachel asked, raising one eyebrow.

Chloe parked her truck in the handicapped space of Blackwell and looked Rachel in the eyes. " _BALLS_."

Rachel snorted a laugh. "Somehow, I don't think that's an official measurement of temperature. At least, I've never heard the weatherman use it."

"If they did, I might actually watch the news," was Chloe's reply as she killed the headlights and the engine. "Explain to me again why the hell you came back to this frozen hell scape instead of staying in California where it's actually warm?"

Rachel unbuckled her seatbelt and slid over to Chloe. Without saying anything, she brought a hand up to Chloe's face and gently turned her head in her direction, then pulled her into a soft kiss that lingered. She pulled away just enough to give Chloe a small grin. "That's why."

"Oh. Well." Chloe cleared her throat. "Good reason." She grinned at Rachel's soft giggle, then zipped up her coat. "C'mon. The sooner we get to your dorm room and back, the sooner we can get back to what's important."

"Sex, you mean?" Rachel said as she put on one of Chloe's spare beanies.

"Well, I was going to say food, but we can work in some sex, too, sure."

The two shared a laugh as they exited Chloe's truck, then fought back a shiver. Like Chloe had so emphatically stated earlier, it was more than a bit cold, with the frigid wind picking up just enough moisture from the Pacific to make things feel even worse. While it wasn't snowing or even icing, it did make them thankful for the extra layers they had on.

The two quickly made their way to the dorm, Rachel using a copy of the master she swiped from Samuel to get them inside easily. They closed the door behind them softly, not wanting to make any loud noises. Sure, the place was empty and security wasn't here at the moment but it never hurt to be cautious.

Another blast of wind rattled some windows of the building. "Shit, I forget how creepy this place can be at night," Chloe whispered.

"I know, right?" was Rachel's equally quiet response. "It's a wonder that someone hasn't filmed a horror movie at Blackwell yet."

Chloe smirked. "Coming to a theater near you: Blackhell Academy! Where students learn to die."

Rachel giggled softly as they reached the girls' floor. "That's good. Has that 'direct to video' cheesiness going for it. I wonder if I can convince Warren to do something like that?"

"The nerd that stalked Max around for a bit before she went nuts?"

"He followed her around like a lost puppy, yes. And she didn't 'go nuts,'" Rachel scolded her lightly as she opened her room door. "She changed."

"Yeah, and not for the better."

Rachel led the way inside, Chloe letting the door close almost all the way behind her. "I've been thinking about that a lot lately. About how much different Max is now versus before."

"Oh? How so?"

Rachel unzipped her coat but left the beanie on. The building, while warmer than outside, was still chilly. "Well, she knows about the future, or at least, possible futures, right?

"Right."

"And she said she loved us, was in relationships with all of us at some point, right?"

"'All' as in you, me, Kate, and Victoria, yeah."

"Do you believe her?"

"About what, knowing the future or loving us?"

"Both."

Chloe was silent a moment, then slowly sat on Rachel's desk chair with a soft sigh. "I kinda have to. I mean, she proved beyond a shadow of a doubt she has super powers. She even talked to us about shit we never told her, like the deal with your mom or my restraining order against Elliot. Believing her about knowing the future is a given. Loving us?" Chloe put her hands in her coat pockets and shrugged. "Even after telling us, she hasn't tried breaking us up, hasn't tried dating any of us again, so I'm not thinking it was a ploy of some sort. It got her nothing, so I can't see why it'd be a lie."

Rachel opened the bottom drawer of her dresser then reached in and up, gently removing the plastic bag that was taped to the underside of the upper drawer. She opened said bag and withdrew a shiny gift-wrapped box. Chloe cocked an eyebrow. "That's where you hid it?"

"Toldja you'd never find it."

Chloe snorted and turned away. "Whatever." She had a small grin on her face, though.

Rachel put the gift back in the bag to carry it before her face turned serious. "I agree with you. Max didn't seem like she was lying and she doesn't have anything to gain by it. So, why was she so hellbent on pushing us away?"

That question made Chloe pause. "What do you mean?"

"Max knows the future. Multiple ones. She could've told us about any number of things, like me winning a modeling contract or you graduating college with honors, or Kate getting published, or Victoria finally finding happiness with the girl of her dreams. Instead, she went straight for the jugular: my father's secrecy about my birth mom. Your abuse. Victoria's suicide. Kate's family's homophobia. It's like she deliberately told us the exact things to piss us off. If she loves us, why hit us with the absolute worst futures possible?"

Chloe opened her mouth to answer, then slowly closed it. Rachel made a damn good point. "I... don't know. What about you? Any ideas?"

"Nothing concrete. But it's something I'm going to corner her about when break's over."

"Think she'll answer?" Chloe asked as she rose from the chair.

"I'm hoping that her promise to always tell us the truth wasn't an empty one." She waved the plastic bag in Chloe's direction. "But for now, let's get back to all that food and sex."

"Now you're talking," Chloe said with a grin.

The pair stepped over to the door and opened it. But right when the were going to leave, they heard the unmistakable sound of a toilet flushing in the distance. Without even looking at one another, Rachel and Chloe stepped back inside and closed the door most of the way, leaving a large enough crack in the doorway to peek out. Several moments later, their vigilance was rewarded when they heard the bathroom door creak open and closed, then watched, dumbfounded, as Max, bundled in sweat pants, fuzzy socks, and one of her ubiquitous hoodies, shuffled into her room, closing the door behind her softly.

Chloe and Rachel gave each other a long, questioning look, then, without having to say a word, stepped out from Rachel's room, closing the door silently behind them. They crept down the hall to Max's door, nodded to one another, and barged right inside.

There, seated in one corner of the love seat, bundled beneath two blankets, was Max. There was just enough light from outside to illuminate her face, meaning that both Chloe and Rachel were treated to something they hadn't seen in over three months: Max caught completely off-guard.

After a long moment, Max blinked. "What are you two doing here?" she whispered.

"We could ask you the same thing," was Chloe's response. "Seriously, what the fuck, dude?"

Rachel made her way to the love seat and sat opposite of Max. "What are you doing here, Max? Blackwell cuts the boiler in the building down to just enough to keep the pipes from freezing. It's not really safe to stay here and certainly not comfortable." Rachel tilted her head to one side. "How long have you been hiding here?"

"Since break started," was Max's soft reply.

"A fucking week? Shit." Chloe shook her head. For Max to stay in this underheated building for that long? It was a minor miracle she hadn't gotten sick already. "I know for a fact that they swept this building before they closed campus," she said as she sat in Max's desk chair. "How'd you avoid the Gestapo?"

Max shrugged slightly. "I waited for them to check the first few rooms, froze time, walked passed them, then waited in Dana's room until they were finished."

Chloe had to smirk at that. "Ninja Max, pulling a fast one over the authority. Nice."

There was a flicker of amusement in Max's eyes. "Thanks."

"Okay, that answers the 'how,'" Rachel said with a nod. "Now, answer the 'why.' Why are you here instead of home?"

Max sighed and looked away. "I don't have a home. Not any more."

Rachel glanced over to Chloe, then back again. "You said your parents are in Seattle, though. And that you didn't have to pack much because you still have a bunch of stuff up there."

"That's correct."

Chloe huffed out a breath. "Okay, dude, how about this: lay it on us. Straight. No shittin' around. What are you talking about, why don't you have a home, why are you hiding out here at Blackwell despite the lack of good heating? What aren't you telling us?"

Max closed her eyes and sighed again. When she opened them, she gave both Rachel and Chloe a steady look.

Rachel, anticipating Max was going to try something, shot forward. "And don't you dare rewind this."

"I wouldn't," Max replied with a slight shake of her head. "A long time ago, I promised myself I'd always tell you the truth when asked and I wouldn't ever rewind anything involving you guys just to make things more convenient for me. I may be shit at being a friend but I'll always keep my promises."

She shifted in her seat slightly and looked out of the window. "About a decade ago, my time, the timeline was very different. Rachel, you were dead. Murdered by Mark and Nathan. Chloe, you were killed here at Blackwell by Nathan, in an attempt to blackmail him out of money that you were going to use to continue looking for Rachel, who everyone assumed had run away to California." She looked to Chloe. "I got my powers rewinding the fatal bullet. I saved you and, as a result, doomed Arcadia Bay.

"In five days, we discovered the truth about what happened and all the while, reality itself was breaking down. At the end, as a huge, unnatural tornado was threatening to destroy the Bay, you told me to go back and let you die, convinced you being alive was the cause of the storm. I refused. I couldn't let you die. So, instead, the Bay was destroyed.

"We left soon after. Tried to live on, recover. But, the guilt of being the cause of so many deaths, including your mother, was too much. You turned to drinking. One evening, you got behind the wheel of your truck, and smashed into a concrete barrier going least 80 miles per hour.

"I rewound that, of course. Convinced you to not drive. And again, reality starting breaking. That was all the proof you needed. You begged me to go back and let you die. I couldn't, though. I lost the photo needed. So instead, you shot yourself. Right in front of me. You killed yourself to save another city from destruction."

"Holy fucking shit." Chloe had gone pale. "Why the fuck...? Right in front of you? Was I that fucked up?"

"Yes. The survivor's guilt was way too much for you to handle, especially knowing your life wasn't natural. So, you fixed the problem and did so the only way you knew how that would convince me to finally let you go."

Rachel wasn't doing too much better than Chloe but she still managed to ask, "What happened next?"

"I couldn't live with myself, not without Chloe. So, after staring at her body for a long time, I reached over, grabbed her gun, put the barrel in my mouth, and pulled the trigger. And woke up in Jefferson's class.

"It was something I discovered later," she continued, not seeing Chloe and Rachel recoil in horror at the casual mention of Max's suicide. "That my powers didn't come to me when I saved Chloe in the bathroom. They came to me when I had a vision of the tornado destroying Arcadia Bay while in class, ten minutes before the bathroom shooting. And when I died, I'd restart in that class, the exact moment I got my powers."

Max shrugged. "I didn't know that at first. Instead, I thought I had been given a second chance. Perhaps we could save the town this time. So, I hurried to the bathroom to save Chloe and we repeated the week, except this time, I knew ahead of time about Nathan, Mark, the Dark Room, the storm, all of it."

"And so, that's this timeline?" Rachel asked.

"No. Not even close. The storm still happened, half the town killed, just as before. I was able to help Chloe better that time but eventually, the guilt got to her and she killed herself again. So I did the same, and woke up in the class. Again.

"And again. And again. And again. I kept repeating that week over and over again. I lost count the number of times I tried, all the variations we tried, to save everyone. Nothing worked. You kept dying. I kept restarting. Over and over and over.

"Eventually, I gave up. The universe wasn't going to let me save you and the town. People were destined to die. So, I chose to die instead. The next time I restarted, I went straight to the bathroom, shattered one of the mirrors with my camera, and slit my wrists with a shard of glass." Max didn't hear the dual gasps of shock. "Maybe if I died before Chloe did, it would change enough things to at least keep her alive. Instead, again, I woke up in Mark's class.

"The universe wouldn't even let me die," Max muttered. "I was the cause of all of it and yet, I couldn't die. I tried. I spent so long trying to kill myself. Drugs. Guns. The train. Jumping off the cliff at the lighthouse. Every way you can think of to kill yourself, I tried. I even let myself get targeted by Mark and Nathan, thinking I could close the loop that way, enduring rape after rape, adjusting what I said during and after to ensure they'd kill me. Didn't work. I still woke up."

Max closed her eyes, missing the horrified looks on both Chloe's and Rachel's faces. "I drifted for a long time after that. Uncaring. What did it matter that I had these powers if I couldn't even save the one person who was so important to me? Why wouldn't the universe just let me die to join her? I walked away from everything, just picked a direction and started walking. Sometimes, I'd die from dehydration, or starvation, or by someone who doesn't understand what the lines on the road meant. Other times, it was wild animals, exposure, or a random wild fire. Didn't matter, I'd just wake up in that goddamned classroom.

"During one of those times, I ran into someone. I don't remember him that clearly. Maybe he was a priest, or a medicine man, or just some junkie that was having a lucid moment. I must've rambled about my problems. Maybe he believed me, maybe not, but he said something, something that stuck: go back, my daughter, and try again. To appease or defy Them matters not. They are your Gifts now. Use them.

"I don't know why, but in that exact moment, I knew what I had to do. Go back. Back further than that damned classroom, back before that fateful day when everything went to shit. Go back, and save everyone. No matter how long it took, no matter the cost. So, after thanking him, whether he was real or not, I killed myself again. And seven years, five months, and a handful of days of experimentation later, here we are."

Max fell silent and opened her eyes, then blinked. She glanced at Chloe, then back to Rachel, both of whom were in tears. "Oh. Shit. Um." She shuffled from her seat, and went to grab a box of tissues from her desk when she was swarmed by both girls, who enveloped her in a hug.

"Jesus Christ, Max." Chloe sniffed. "How the..." She couldn't even finish her sentence.

"It's okay," Max replied.

"No it fucking isn't," Rachel hissed. "How the fuck can you sit there and say that? What you went through, it's so far from okay, I can't even come up with enough words to describe it."

"But it is," Max protested. "It's okay because you're alive and happy. Both of you. It worked. You and Kate and Victoria, everyone I've ever loved, you're happy and alive and safe. So it's okay."

"And what about you, dammit," Chloe demanded. "What about your happiness? Your future?"

Max shook her head. "Not important. I don't deserve happiness. I have no future. I don't matter."

Rachel gave Max a violent shake. "How can you possibly say that?!"

"Because it's my fault my parents are dead."

The room went dead quiet. Slowly, Rachel and Chloe backed away from Max, Rachel clearing her throat. "What do you mean?" she whispered.

Max took a deep breath. "One of my other abilities allows me to jump back into moments in my past through photos I've taken. I can alter events, change the timeline."

"Wait." Rachel blinked. "Was that what you were doing when we took you to the ER?"

"Yes. I was time travelling. But the changes I make can have far-reaching consequences that I can't predict. The butterfly effect. It required a lot of experimentation, weeks and months of observing cause and effect to affect just the right amount of change to get the outcomes I needed. It was during this time that I fell for you," Max looked over to Rachel, "then Kate, then Victoria. But no matter what, the storm kept happening. Five days from waking up in the classroom. Time after time, without fail. And I didn't understand why.

"I decided to restart and let events flow without my direct interference. No Chloe, but no storm. Restarted. Killed Nathan in the bathroom before he could kill Chloe. No storm. And then I finally understood. I can use my powers the change whatever I wanted but if I used my powers to save a life, then another life must be sacrificed in their place. Someone has to die for someone else to live. Otherwise, the universe itself would send a storm, or something, to correct the imbalance. That is the true curse of my powers.

"I thought I had everything figured out. Sacrifice Mark Jefferson to save Rachel. Sacrifice Sean Prescott to save Chloe. Sacrifice Damon Merrick to save William. Three unrepentant pieces of garbage for three good people. Done. And yet, even then, the storm still came.

"It took me a long time to figure out that, by killing Mark before he became a teacher at Blackwell and started his sick project, two girls that would have committed suicide after becoming his victims had lived. They, like you, were now alive and happy, having never felt the needle, never got kidnapped, raped, never felt that crushing despair of something they couldn't remember and didn't understand, but drove each to take their own lives. They lived, because of me. And if I wanted them to live, two more sacrifices had to be made.

"That's why I'm here, why I don't have a home. I had to pick two and didn't have the luxury of finding anyone else. The photo jumping takes a lot out of me but the changes have to happen quickly, back to back, before the paradoxes could start mounting. Otherwise, that would lead to yet another storm, killing more lives."

"God-fucking-dammit," Chloe ground out, her voice rough with disbelief, pain, and anger. "You're not God. You don't get to decide who lives and dies. That isn't fucking right!" she shouted.

"I know," Max replied, unfazed by Chloe's outburst. "I'm just a weak, stupid girl who can't accept the loss of her best friend, despite losing that title years ago when I abandoned her. Who was given these powers for no reason and despite years of practice, still can't make things right. Who can't let go. Who has killed thousands repeatedly, killed herself dozens of times, who killed her own parents.

"I'm a monster. A piece of garbage as unrepentant as Mark, Damon, and Sean. Who deserves to die but can't. I've tried. All I can do now is exist and hope that dying of old age will finally let me die for real." She looked from one former friend to the other, and closed her eyes. "That's why it's okay. I have no future. And I deserve nothing." She curled into a ball, wrapping her arms around her legs. "Hate me. I'm used to it. I already hate myself."

* * *

A couple of minutes later, Chloe and Rachel sat in Chloe's truck, silent. Though the wind had eased off, the temperature had dropped even further by this point, leaving the cab of the truck ice cold. No words were spoken as the pair waited for the idling engine to warm and the heater to do its thing.

Finally, when their noses had thawed out, when it was warm enough in the truck to unzip their coats, they put on their seatbelts, ready to leave all this shit behind, and try to enjoy what remained of their break. Chloe pressed the brake pedal, put the truck in reverse,

and stopped.

Unlike Max, Chloe didn't have powers over time, but in that exact moment, you wouldn't know that by looking at her. She was frozen in place as her brain went from 0 to 100, putting bits and pieces of conversation together like a puzzle, to form a completely different picture. "You son of a bitch..." was her low whisper as she finally realized something.

Rachel glanced over at the soft utterance. "What's up?" she asked quietly.

Chloe put her truck back into park, turned the heater down to low so they wouldn't roast, and sat back in her seat. "Max has seen the future," she stated quietly. "Multiple, possible futures. She could've told us about anything, about you winning a modeling contract, me graduating with honors, Kate getting published, Vicky finding happiness." She turned to Rachel. "So, why was she so hellbent on pushing us away?"

Hearing her own question asked a second time made Rachel stop as well. She forced herself to think, really think, about the question, to shove aside the shock of Max's revelations, to get to the core of the issue. "People push others away when they're scared," she answered, chewing on her bottom lip as she thought it through. "Scared of hurting them, scared of getting hurt themselves."

"And yet, she already hurt us by telling us all of this. She did a pretty damn good job painting herself as a monster. Unrepentant as Mark, Sean, and Damon."

"Fuck, talk about a name I thought I'd never hear again."

"Tell me about it," Chloe replied. "But is she? Is she unrepentant? Is she a monster?"

"She..." Rachel turned and looked out the window at the darkened dormitory building. "She says she is. She believes it, definitely. That wasn't a lie."

"And she wanted us to believe it, too." Chloe grunted softly, shifted in her seat, then continued. "If you knew I was going to die tomorrow, let's say while I driving, at the hands of a drunk driver, absolutely knew it was going to happen, would you save me?"

"Of course," Rachel said, turning back. "No question. I love you."

Chloe nodded. "Same here. And what if you found out that the drunk driver, when he didn't hit and kill me, instead drove into another car and killed a family of five. Would you still save me?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Does that make you a monster?"

"No. It makes me human, a girl desperately in love." Rachel blinked as realization dawned on her.

Chloe saw her reaction and nodded. "I want to say, 'I don't know why I didn't think of it that way sooner,' but now, I think I do. Max did that deliberately. To push us away. Talked about shitty futures to catch us off-guard, then painted herself as an absolute monster, so we'd just walk away. Abandon her because she thinks she deserves it." She turned in her seat. "But how can she be a monster when she did exactly what you and I would do for each other?"

Rachel turned to look out of her window again, then turned back. "Then, let me play Devil's Advocate and ask, what about her parents?"

"That's... more than a little fucked up. Even I can admit. But." Chloe motioned towards the dorm with her chin. "She said she's been working on this timeline for seven years. She got her powers a decade ago. That's a three year gap where she tried and failed to save me and the Bay, then spent a long time trying to kill herself." She ran a hand down her face. "Killing herself over and over again, maybe for a year, maybe even longer. Then afterwards, kept killing herself as a way of restarting, trying to fix everything. How badly does that fuck a person up? To see your own death as meaningless? To see your own _life_ as meaningless?

"And yet, she's still trying to make things right for you and me and the others." Chloe sighed long and deep. "Could I do that? After ten years of dying, of watching everyone else die repeatedly, could I still try to help everyone? I don't know. But if I could, if I were strong enough to keep trying, what would I be willing to sacrifice to make that happen, to give everyone their happy ending?" She shook her head. "I can't answer that. But Max can. She did. And after all of it, after living through hell for a decade, she's pushing us away. Again. Are we going to let her?"

The two fell silent for several long moments. Finally, Rachel cleared her throat. "Can you help her?"

"Me?" Chloe shook her head. "No. I know that for a fact. So, the question is, can _we_ help her?"

Rachel looked back out the window. Thought about Max, everything she told them just now, and a couple of months ago. The tidbits here and there she spoke about between then and now. How different this Max was compared to the Max from before. How desperately alone she always seemed. And nodded slowly. "Yes."

Even though that was exactly the answer she was hoping for, Chloe wanted confirmation. "Are you sure?"

"No." Rachel shook her head. "I'll be honest and say I don't know if trying to help Max is the right thing to do. But, I also know for a fact that leaving her here, alone, right now, is exactly the wrong thing to do. She's sacrificed so much of herself for us, maybe even her sanity, to help us. The least we can do is help her now."

Chloe reached across the seat and took Rachel's hand in hers, giving it a soft squeeze. "I love you. Thank you."

"I love you, too, babe. Now, go get her."

* * *

It was cold. And not just because of the lower temperature outside. Max felt it in whatever remained of her soul. If she even had one. Maybe she was just an empty husk with memories and powers and that's why she couldn't die?

Whatever. That wasn't important. Only they were important. Their lives, their happiness. And now that Max had revealed her last secret, they'd tell the others, and everyone would leave her. Which was fine. It was okay. Hate her, abandon her, let her rot. She was a monster. She deserved nothing less.

So why, after so many long and painful years of getting to this point, did it hurt so much? If the universe wouldn't let her die, couldn't they at least let her heart die?

No, she had to suffer. That was the price of her powers, to get things right, to make things right. Someone had to pay the price. It had to be her. No one else deserved--

Her thoughts were interrupted when, for the second time in less than an hour, Max was caught completely off-guard when her door burst open, slamming open hard enough to echo down the hall. She jerked herself upright when Chloe barged right in and stomped in her direction. Max knew what was coming and braced herself for the beating.

It wouldn't be the first time.

Instead, and to her utter shock, Chloe hauled her up from her bundle of blankets and wrapped her into a fierce hug. "Chloe...?"

"You're a fucking idiot, Max."

Max blinked. "I know."

"Goddammit," Chloe hissed out. "That's not what--" She growled in consternation and pulled back, grasping Max by her upper arms and giving her a small shake. "I meant, you're a fucking idiot for thinking you could just push me away. You think I wouldn't figure out what you were trying to do?"

"I..." Max blinked again. Chloe was just as fierce as she'd always been, in every timeline, but she was also acting... so... out of character? Or, was that her actual character, here, and Max didn't know it? "I'm sorry...?"

Chloe grunted and let Max go. "No, you're not. But you're gonna be." She turned away and started opening dresser drawers. "Now, pack your shit. You're coming with me."

Again, Max blinked in surprise. She hadn't felt so far out of her depth in a very long time. "I am?"

"Yes. No one deserves to be alone on Christmas, especially not one of my friends."

"But we're not friends."

Chloe dropped a small pile of clothes onto Max's bed, then turned to face her. "Dumping me already?"

"No! That's not-- I mean..." Max shook her head and shuffled in place. "I don't deserve to be your friend," she whispered. "Or anyone's."

Chloe snorted, then turned back to the dresser. "Why don't you let us decide what we deserve for once, instead of taking that choice from us?"

"But..." Max watched as Chloe dropped a two fistfuls of panties and socks onto her bed, then turned towards her meager closet. "I'm a monster. You should hate me."

Ripping the closet door open, Chloe quickly located Max's suitcase, tossed it onto the bed, then narrowed her gaze at Max. "In what fucking universe is sacrificing everything, **everything** , for the sake of others make you a monster?"

"Um, this one?"

"Another reason you're an idiot." Chloe quickly shoved all the clothing she found in the suitcase, then glanced around. "Where's your-- got it." She grabbed Max's shower caddy and turned it upside down, dumping its contents in the suitcase, then zipped it closed. "Done. Let's go."

Chloe stepped towards the door but paused when it was apparent Max wasn't following. She turned back around, walked over to Max, and grasped her hand. "Don't think I won't drag you from this dorm, kicking and screaming."

"No, I... um, I mean. That won't be necessary...?" Max bit her lower lip. "I'm just confused," she admitted.

"I can tell," Chloe replied, softening her stance slightly. "We'll talk more later. Promise. For now, let's get you where you belong."

"And where's that?"

"With me."

"I..." Max sniffed, the sudden swell of emotion surprising her. She wiped her nose with her sleeve. "Sorry..."

Chloe gave Max a soft smile. "C'mon, Mad Max," she said, giving her hand a gentle tug. "Let's go home."

Home. That word hadn't been in Max's vocabulary for a long, long time. She never let herself feel comfortable enough to have one, knew she didn't deserve one. But as she followed Chloe to her truck, only tripping once due to her undone shoe laces, she wondered, for the first time in years, if it might actually be possible to have one again. To feel that way again. Not with Chloe, certainly. She already had a home with Rachel. But maybe...

Once they reached the still idling truck, Chloe tossed Max's suitcase in the back, then opened her door, making certain Max got in first. Seated next to Rachel, Max suddenly started feeling nervous again. What did Rachel think of her? Did she hate her? Did she want to be friends, still? Did she think Max a monster? What was--

A warm hand on her knee stopped her rambling thoughts. Max turned to Rachel and blinked at the warm expression on the blonde's face. "Merry Christmas, Max."

"I..." Max sniffed again. "Merry Christmas, Rachel," she whispered.

"Yeah, yeah, Merry whatever-the-fuck." Chloe fastened her seatbelt then grinned at her two passengers. "Buckle up, ladies. We're out of here."

And with that, Chloe put her truck into gear and drove them into their future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies if this felt a bit rushed. But like I said, when I started thinking about this AU, I had three firm scenes I wanted to write and not a lot outside of that. Also, as easy as it could be to end this on one hell of a downer, I wanted the final scene to have a hopeful feel.
> 
> There are many stories I could possible tell in this AU: Max's devastation as she realized the true cost of saving people, Mark's death at the hands of Max (he didn't die of brain aneurysm like the papers stated), Max giving the Price family a Christmas present in the form of a winning lotto ticket, Max finally finding happiness) but for now, I'm marking this complete. If anyone is interested, I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have and will gladly share my headcanon about this AU.
> 
> Writing this fic was a bit cathartic, too. I'm hoping that, now that I've funneled a lot of my angst into this work, I can avoid writing so much of it in Worthy, get that story re-focused on happier things. Rest assured that work continues on Worthy!


End file.
